Culture Vultures

It's Pickton Redux, but South of the 49th

2009-08-15T20:56:00.003-04:00

Families of missing, murdered women hold fundraiser

Posted: Today at 5:30 p.m. Updated: Today at 6:49 p.m.
Rocky Mount, N.C. — Relatives and friends of eight missing or slain Rocky Mount women held another fundraiser Saturday to keep the names and faces of these women in the public eye. The families have formed the community group MOMS (Murdered or Missing Sisters). They have held fish fries, motorcycle rides and other events to raise money for three electronic billboards, which show each woman individually and then all together. A question mark represents a sixth unidentified victim.Minnie Jones, whose sister Christine Marie Boone went missing in 2006, said the goal is make the “public aware that this is going on in the city of Rocky Mount.” “We really need to know what is going on with these women,” Jones said Saturday. Boone, 46, was last seen at 801 S. Grace Street in August 2006. Family members said they filed missing persons reports three separate times. In addition to Boone, two other women – Renee Joyce Durham and Yolanda Renee Lancaster – remain missing. The three women have similar backgrounds as five other women whose bodies have been found.The remains of Jarniece Latonya Hargrove, 31, Jackie Nikelia Thorpe, 35, Ernestine Battle, 50, Melody LaShae Wiggins, 29, and Taraha Shenice Nicholson, 28, were found in a rural area of Edgecombe County over the past four years.Each woman was black, from Rocky Mount and had a history of drug use and run-ins with the law. Each was reported missing before their bodies were discovered.A sixth body discovered in February has yet to be identified.

The group said they may not be able to afford to keep the billboards up and, instead, may make a public service announcement.

Lamar Advertising gave the community group a significant discount on the billboards, which went up on July 28. The group paid $1,300 for all three signs.

Two billboards are on U.S. Highway 301, and the other is near Winstead and Sunset avenues.
Anyone with information about the cases is asked to call the Edgecombe County Sheriff's Office at 252-641-7911.

Holly Desimone and the progress of Victims Rights in Canada

2009-08-15T18:18:00.004-04:00

A story so good it deserves to be printed in its entirety:

On the night she was sexually assaulted by an acquaintance, Holly Desimone became a member of a club no one ever wants to join: that of crime victim.

"It was the most alone I've ever felt in my life," says the 47-year-old Calgarian as she looks back on the events of Dec. 14, 1990, when the then Red Deer resident was brutally attacked by Ali Rasai, an Iranian who had fled an attempted

rape charge in Australia and entered Canada on a fake passport.

"I called a friend and her advice to me was, 'Never, ever, tell anybody, no one will believe you.' "

Those first few days were just a taste of how alone Desimone would feel in the coming days, weeks, months and years after she decided to speak out and fight for justice. Ultimately, her courage helped spur improvements in attitudes and legislation regarding victims' rights across the country.

Today, funds help victims attend parole hearings and laws prevent criminals from profiting off their crimes, such as from books.

Victims' rights are also high on the agenda of federal and provincial politicians. In June, the Harper government said it wanted to give more rights to victims of crime, including enshrining in law the right to participate in parole board hearings.

But when Desimone began her struggle with the justice system nearly 20 years ago, there seemed to her to be little consideration for those most greatly affected by murder, rape or other criminal acts.

For her, the first blow came in the spring of 1991, when an Edmonton judge granted Rasai--a man who would later be charged with the sexual assault of two more women--$3,000 bail.

A week later, Desimone walked out of her apartment building and saw Rasai standing in the street, watching her.

"I couldn't believe my eyes," she says, noting she hadn't been warned about his release, and there was no order from the judge to stay away from her.

Rasai fled Canada, and it seemed there was little interest in finding him.

That's when Desimone did the unthinkable for sexual assault victims at that time: she went public. She contacted the Calgary Herald and set a Canadian precedent by allowing her name and photograph to be published. Stories of Desimone's fight for justice put pressure on politicians at both the provincial and federal levels.

"No one was working on my behalf as a victim," says Desimone. "I had to be my own advocate."

Her dogged determination eventually paid off: Rasai was brought back to Canada in 1996, where he was convicted of sexually assaulting Desimone and two other women, and sentenced to four and a half years in prison.

In 1998, Desimone travelled to Manitoba to attend Rasai's parole hearing. However, since the federal government had yet to begin providing funds for victims to attend parole hearings, which it does today, the young victim had to rely on the help of a friend.

Even though the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, which came into force in 1992, allowed victims to witness parole hearings by this time, Desimone's appearance was considered a bold move.

"Before this happened to me, I knew nothing about our country's justice system," she says. "I had to educate myself, in the days before the Internet, because no one else was going to fight on my behalf."

Back in the early-to mid-'90s, much of what is taken as a given today for victims of crime was either non-existent or still in its infancy, such as the presence of victim-support workers in courtrooms, the inclusion of victim-impact statements and organizations that provide information and support to victims of crime.

"There was pretty much nowhere, or no one, to turn to," says Desimone. But her fight prompted change: in Alberta, then-attorney general Ken Rostad demanded an accounting of the bungling in Rasai's case; victims of major crimes would now be alerted when their accused attackers sought bail. Her case also helped change Canada's Immigration Act, inserting into it provisions that would allow officials to turn away would-be immigrants who are believed to have committed a crime outside Canada punishable here by a term of 10 years or more.

Like many who came before her, Desimone learned the hard truth that the court and prison systems often treat offenders more favourably than victims, according them the kinds of adequate services, compensation and rights that until recently have been out of reach for those who find themselves on the receiving end of crime.

"People like Holly forced incredible change in the country," says Steve Sullivan, the new federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime, who back in 1998 accompanied Desimone to Rasai's parole hearing, in his previous role as the head of the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime. "These were people who suffered horrendous tragedies, who you could understand if they were unable to even get out of bed in the morning, and here they were fighting for rights that we now have today--they are true pioneers."

Today in Canada, most provinces and territories have instituted compensation programs for victims of crime. In 2007, Alberta enacted a Victims of Crime Act, which outlines rights to be accorded to victims such as providing them with information and support about both the criminal justice process and the details of their individual cases. Most police departments across the country have victim support units that guide victims through every step of the process. In 2007, the federal government set up the Office of the Ombudsmen for Victims of Crime, which works in co-operation with several agencies that have sprouted up over the past two decades to assist victims.

But recognition of crime victims has been a long time coming. "It's only been 15 years since victims of crime have been allowed to attend parole hearings," says Sullivan. "In a legislative arena, that is a very short period of time."

While many today see victims' rights as part and parcel of a truly just system, Doug King says it's understandable why it's taken so long in the context of our criminal justice system.

"When you see R. versus an accused (on court documents), it means Regina, which stands for society at large," says King, chair of justice studies at Mount Royal College. "The real victim has always been treated as secondary."

While this might sound patently unfair, King says the Canadian style of criminal justice has worked well.

"It's a balancing act, courts have to keep a certain distance away from the emotion of the victims--once you lose the presumption of innocence, you can make some terrible mistakes."

But he sees the incredible growth of services for victims over the past decade or so as an important trend.

"We need to make sure the right person is convicted of an offence, but we also need to work to heal the harm done to the individual victims," he says.

"This is a movement that has been largely propelled by the victims themselves."

No discussion of those pioneers can overlook people like Gary and Sharon Rosenfeldt, whose experience as victims of crime led to a lifelong commitment to the cause.

"We were just incensed by the way we were treated, we had to do something," says Sharon, whose 16-year-old son Daryn was murdered in 1981, becoming one of the 11 young victims of serial killer Clifford Olson. (Gary Rosenfeldt died in February of cancer at age 67.)

The Rosenfeldts suffered a host of indignities that included everything from the RCMP initially refusing to take their son's disappearance seriously, to an officer calling up Sharon one day and casually telling her that a body found was that of her child. The parents also learned that Daryn had been sexually assaulted before being killed by Olson, by reading that in a newspaper.

"There was nothing for us, nowhere to turn," says Sharon of a justice landscape that had yet to be peopled with victim support workers, compensation programs or any other kind of help.

But there was inspiration from another growing movement: that supporting victims of sexual assault.

"Shelters had started to spring up around the country, and people were speaking out on behalf of those victims," says Sharon, who with Gary started Victims of Violence, a national organization that through promoting the rights of child victims has had a large impact on the rights for all victims of crime.

"We were the first to be allowed to have an office servicing victims in a courtroom," says the former Edmontonian who runs her organization today from Ottawa, to be closer to the country's decision-makers.

"At the time, there were offices serving offenders, and what we were doing was considered highly controversial."

Rosenfeldt says that while there has been incredible progress made since her first experience as a victim of crime, there is still room for improvement, as Canada is "still in the pioneer stage of victims rights."

More is needed in educating people, aiding victims and changing attitudes, she says. "We want to see victims' rights entrenched into the Charter of Rights," she says. "Until we're there, there will never truly be victims rights."

Nearly two decades after her ordeal and eight years after her tormentor was deported from Canada, Desimone shares her fellow victim-turned-activist's determination.

"Stepping forward unequivocally changed my life," says Desimone, who says she continues to suffer emotional and physical problems stemming from her victimization.

"But I did it to survive. We all need to care about the rights of crime victims, because it can happen to anyone--and it does, every single day."

VFORTNEY@THEHERALD. CANWEST.COMSUNDAY: PART 2

Assistance to victims of crime in Canada has grown in leaps and bounds over the past decade, but is it enough? Are we doing all we can as a society to help heal victims?

It's Network, The Running Man AND Carnavale all together in one happy death bag of fun!

2009-08-15T08:18:00.001-04:00

A Brazilian TV presenter and politician accused of organising killings to feature on his crime show has spoken out to deny the allegations against him.

Police believe Wallace Souza staged crime scenes to eliminate rivals and boost ratings of "Canal Livre", aired in Amazonas state.

Mr Souza says it was his television crew's vigilance that landed them scoops on crimes - not his involvement.

Gary Duffy reports from Sao Paulo.

Perdue orders State agencies to cut again

2009-08-15T08:03:00.002-04:00

Brilliant! What a strategy! All budget, all the time! 24/7. Oh this is much better than a year ago!

RALEIGH, N.C. — A week after signing a $19 billion state budget, Gov. Bev Perdue issued an executive order late Friday mandating a 5 percent cut affecting all state agencies.

Seinfeld on Leno - ughh!

2009-08-14T23:47:00.002-04:00

Allow me to be the first to say it: In the galactic continuum of life Seinfeld represented about a nano-second. A blueshift memory in a useless comic decade. Please go and reinvent yourself, but stay away from comedy. As Potsie said, you're about as funny as a crutch. RIP:

Seinfeld to Be Leno’s First Guest on New Show

NDP proposal to change party name could prove embarrassing in Quebec

2009-08-14T22:21:00.002-04:00

Welcome Pederast Delegates!

Words I Never Thought I'd Come To See

2009-08-14T22:18:00.001-04:00

Squeaky Fromme Who Tried to Kill Ford in ’75 Is Paroled

Who Killed Theresa's Blog?

2009-08-14T07:50:00.002-04:00

Hi All. Temporarily blogging over here while I wait for Google to restore WKT and my blogging privileges (I got some porn-spam or something clogging the site). Anyway, in the mean time I will post what I left on Who Killed Theresa Yesterday:

Harper Government Considers Mandatory Minimum Sentences for Financial Crimes:

Gotta Say, I am no fan of mandatory minimum sentences. It has been a failure in many U.S. States. It reduces the discretionary power of judges, allowing them to go on auto-pilot, and sometimes restricts them from issuing much harsher sentences.

2007-12-12T07:47:00.000-05:00

The 24 Days of YouTube - Tuesday, December 12th, 2007

Easy Stomach

Mmmmmmm.... nothing says Christmas like Kraft Holiday Recipes!

2007-12-11T07:44:00.000-05:00

The 24 Days of YouTube - Tuesday, December 11th, 2007

I like this Zayre's promo with Batman and Robin:

2007-12-10T07:32:00.000-05:00

The 24 Days of YouTube - Monday, December 10th, 2007

Have a Six-Million-Dollar morning:

2007-12-09T19:06:00.000-05:00

The 24 Days of YouTube - Sunday, December 9th, 2007

Best Xmas video ever?

2007-12-08T08:04:00.000-05:00

At Is That Legal? Eric's having kittens over Ultravox being pompous...

Ya, but Mr-X was sooooo cool!

My complaint about Vienna was the bridge sounded too much like these guys:

(who I might add are beginning to look more and more like the systems engineers they always were - and still are so cool!)

Anyway, if you want 80s pompous, what about these guys:

(Nevermind that I loved, and still love The Blue Nile)

A lot of people thought these guys were pretensious, but I just thought they were FAB-U-LAS!

Mick Karn on the fretless bass... good lord. Check him out here years later riffing on Sons of Pioneers:

2007-12-08T07:14:00.000-05:00

The 24 Days of YouTube - December 8th, 2007

The Thin White (very white) Duke does The Snowman

To all you naysayers who claimed it didn't happen; here is the original opening to Raymond Briggs' The Snowman with the introduction by David Bowie (looking a little too "Let's Dance" for my taste):

2007-12-07T02:59:00.000-05:00

The 24 Days of YouTube - December 7th, 2007

What-the-hell, enjoy some Kinks:

2007-12-06T08:59:00.000-05:00

The 24 Days of YouTube - December 6th, 2007

Les Joyeaux Lurons

While Stephen Harper and Gilles Duceppe debate Christmas lights, Jack Layton contemple "un nasty parti, man!"

It's a Quebec thing, just deal with it:

2007-12-05T07:24:00.000-05:00

The 24 days of YouTube - December 5th, 2007

Cold War Choo-choo

Lionel Trains has just the thing for your cute little war-monger. A mobile missile launcher! Take that portable WMDs!

2007-12-04T19:28:00.000-05:00

The 24 days of YouTube - December 4th, 2007

A Bozo Christmas Carol.

The title says it all: this is too painful to be imagined, luckily they only give us the intro:

2007-12-03T14:33:00.001-05:00

The 24 Days of YouTube - December 3rd, 2007

A Forest Rangers Christmas Special

On this very special Forest Rangers, MacLeod - channeling his best Festus - steals a pocket watch, then discovers the true meaning of the season.

(if you REALLY want to view the other parts of the episode you can You Tube them yourselves):

2007-12-02T00:01:00.000-05:00

The 24 Days of YouTube - December 2nd, 2007

This seemed appropriate given Evel's Exit. I believe I got the stunt cycle for my 12th Christmas - Pure magic:

2007-12-01T04:52:00.000-05:00

The 24 Days of YouTube - December 1st, 2007

First up this year is the animated version of Oscar Wilde's The Happy Prince. It has nothing to do with Christmas. This used to come on during the holidays in the 70s, and many remember it fondly...

but looking at it again, what a bringdown!

Enjoy:

Part I

Part II

2007-10-21T20:10:00.000-04:00

My Prog-Rock Savior

Eleanor from the Fiery Furnaces

2007-10-11T18:55:00.000-04:00

Radiohead - In Rainbows

Ok, there's this point at the end of the third track, Nude where Thom sounds like he's seriously channeling that moment in The Little Mermaid where Arial loses her voice to Ursula...

Anyone else hear that?

On another note, I paid one pound Sterling for In Rainbows (selling England bt the pound).

I like it so far...

2007-10-10T20:24:00.000-04:00

Attention Rennaissance Faire Geeks:

Blackmore's Night is headed to Raleigh:

Not since Ian Anderson girded his loins with a hefty codpiece, has middle earth been so satisfied. This combination madrigal-music-extravaganza, Celtic-mystic-riverdance promises to satisfy even the most ill-tempered Orc.

All Hallows Eve Special! Come in costume and receive free cup of Wassail and dragon scale.

Hope my dublet still fits. Almien!

2007-10-09T18:52:00.000-04:00

I'm sorry, could you repeat the question?

NPR had an interesting piece today about the over use of laptop computers in college classrooms.

I've been in graduate school for 3 years now and I must say, I found this a completely fascinating phenomenon, after 20 years outside academia. For a while I tried typing notes in class but found I was causing too much of a distraction (I do a 4 finger peck that is VERY lowd; the younger you are, the softer your touch - all that practice in the tweenie years).

Though in the beginning I was lured by the novelty, and tried to take notes on my laptop, I must admit that I eventually reverted to written notes. I found I was better able to retain the material, and with the computer, I was often tempted to check my email and the sports scores.

The ONLY time I found using a laptop practical was in a municipal law course where the professor was constantly referring to state statutes, and it served everybody well to simply cut-and-past the statute reference from the state website into your written notes.

But this post is going out to many of my friends who teach, professors and piers studying at graduate school. So I put it to you, what's your opinion of the use of laptops during course lectures?

2007-10-07T11:03:00.000-04:00

What-The-"bleep" Is This?

It's October 7th, and I'm being bitten by misquitoes?

2007-10-02T18:58:00.000-04:00

Shhhhhhhh... I'm studying Gillian Welch's Time (The Revelator).

This could take all month.

2007-09-30T09:27:00.000-04:00

Girlies

2007-09-26T18:11:00.000-04:00

Indy Election Endorsements 2007!

David Cronenberg's running for mayor of Cary?

2007-09-26T10:31:00.000-04:00

More Ub Iwerks

Skeleton Dance is perfection:

2007-09-24T22:29:00.000-04:00

Ub Iwerks

Continuing with our theme of Halloween pleasures, Up Iwerks' Stratos Fear:

Had Uncle Walt stuck with Ub, Disneyland might have been a much more scarifying world.

2007-09-24T14:56:00.000-04:00

They go in Threes

First they take Alice Ghostly, then mime legend, Marcel Marceau...

but Canadian hockey artist, Ken Danby?

Noooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(fittingly he died in a canoeing accident... the method of choice for most Canadians)

2007-09-23T16:20:00.000-04:00

Oh man, do you remember this? Like, dig those electronics! Move over Wii.

2007-09-23T09:15:00.000-04:00

Some Pumpkins I have Known:

Traditional, yes very nice:

Barf pumpkin; always a good choice:

Wow, this one's really scarifying:

Oooo...this one's too ripe:

TheYoung Turk , sure to be all the rage this season:

Oh god, this one's too disgusting, don't even look:

2007-09-21T08:49:00.000-04:00

Getting Ready for Fall

2007-09-20T11:28:00.000-04:00

There's been another Moosehead Beer Heist!!!!!

My brother's gonna be on the CBC this afternoon - he wrote a song about the first heist, in New Brunswick.

You can hear his song, Looking for Empties on Andre's MySpace site.

Interview: CBC Saint John... - Paul Castle's show, SHIFT.

2007-09-19T21:55:00.000-04:00

Emily The Strange is pretty spooky, weird, wonderful:

... for now.

2007-09-18T13:53:00.000-04:00

Here's a good Halloween song. Love how he dedicates it to Clear Channel:

2007-09-17T12:59:00.001-04:00

I Love Beistle Halloween decorations, but some are a little too creepy:

Hope this never crosses my path:

Skull-Kitty... nice, real nice:

Ahhh, the Beistle skeleton - a classic...
I think we had one of these as kids with green flesh attached. Nice touch:

Not quite sure the point of this one:

Satan.. waaaayyyy too disturbing:

2007-09-14T17:52:00.000-04:00

General Petraeus says...

Bring the troops home:

As Chaney ponders...

And the insurgency continues...

And Condi Rice questions...

And Obama waits...

Bring the troops home:

2007-09-14T10:49:00.000-04:00

Some Pix By Amelia

Sad Girl

Action Girl

2007-09-13T17:29:00.000-04:00

SOME PHOTOS FROM MY RECENT TRIP TO BOSTON:

Midday at the ballpark

Things heat up on Yawkey Way

Pensky's Pole

Game on! (Tampa won, 1 - 0)

Sam Adams marker

The Old North Church (I only know it 'cause of National Treasure)

Faneuil Hall

2007-09-03T13:45:00.000-04:00

Just back from a bike camping trip to Jordan Lake

Now I see why they say to bring bungee cables. That Therma-Rest was the first to go (my back is still paying for it).

It took me about 20 miles to get there (I got lost). Oh, who am I kidding, this is my back yard.

Ah, there's lake Jordan (you can tell 'cause the water level's so low). There's nothing like a man-made lake: You dive in and hit your head on a tree stump.

This is posted on the camp site rest room. It basically says if Shearon Harris goes atomic, kiss your ass goodbye.

A bag of couscous, the camper's best friend (me sneakee-in-brewski)

2007-08-30T22:13:00.000-04:00

A loaf of bread, a container of ilmk, and a stick of butter:

2007-08-25T06:27:00.000-04:00

I Did What You Know Last Summer

- Summer Camp

- Trip to the beach

- Lots of time in the pool

- Sweat, sweat, sweat

Glad the kids are going back this Monday. Ready for September.

2007-08-20T13:01:00.000-04:00

I planted a garden (plants with height to disguise the air unit)

I hate looking at that pinestraw, but it has to stay as long as we're in a drought.

The cornflower found a home (feeling less optimistic about the butterfly bush)

This guy will give some ground cover

Who doesn't like purple?

Some white flowers that bees seem to like. I'm worried about those B.E.S.

Getting some melon flowers, don't know how they'll grow way up there.

Did I mention my manly grill?

Amelia's tomato

We converted this deep fryer to a compost unit. I'm hoping Amelia will paint it like a Gyroid.

2007-08-17T14:32:00.000-04:00

Electric Landlady

Voodoo Chile... 1983... Mitch Mitchell man, Mitch Mitchell.

Can you dig it.

2007-08-13T19:04:00.001-04:00

Van Halen Mach 2007

You bet your ass I'll be in Greensboro on September 29th:

Look at Dave lookin' like Jonathan Antin, go away wit' 'yo bad self!

2007-08-11T15:47:00.000-04:00

Some Garden Pix

Ignore the bathing suit

The flowers will turn into some kind of melon

I'm told this will be a sunflower (any day now)

Amelia's tomato

Beans!

Grace and Ava's tomaters

I don't know how this got in there

hmmm...

I don't know how this got in there

Black eyed susans... the other two flowers? I'm not sure.

Hot peppers? Not a fan, but the colors are beautiful.

Moses Supposes...

A butterfly bush, though all it attracts are bumble bees

2007-08-11T09:50:00.000-04:00

This headline kills me:

Interest high in Chapel Hill police chief post

Duh... ya think? When your major responsibility is crowd control at UNC games and the Halloween parade, it's gotta be one of the cushiest law enforcement jobs in the country.

2007-08-09T21:59:00.000-04:00

"Bull Durham" Baseball Field Could Help Bring Development to Durham

As a City of Durham employee who has known this has been in the works for some time, and as a HUGE fan of baseball history, I can't tell you how happy this makes me.

How big a fan?

- I jog past the old park every lunch hour.

- Mitch's - the watering hole in Bull Durham - is a haunt of mine while at school at NCSU.

- I own an authentic Satchel Paige, Kansas City Monarchs jersey

- My wife and I have a brick at the new Bulls stadium

2007-08-06T20:32:00.000-04:00

WHAT WILL THE GERMANS THINK OF NEXT?

It's the limited edition Gladiator playset from Playmobil!

1. Will Maximus become Emeror of Rome?

2. Not if Commodus has anything to say about it:

3. Ooooh, Now Maximus is enslaved in a galley!:

4. Only to be fed to Commodus' lions:

2007-08-03T07:46:00.000-04:00

Whenever I hear the words, General Petraeus this is what pops in my head:

Just so we're clear, this is General Petraeus:

This is General Ursus:

(and this of course is Dr. Zaius):

2007-08-02T09:24:00.000-04:00

From Today's N&O

Again, I'm fine with the cleanup... shouldn't they have tested the soil before disturbing it to see if it is dangerous? Where will the soil go? Are we polluting another community?

Soil tainted, but state sees no danger to public

Samuel Spies, Staff Writer

CARRBORO - The state agency responsible for an environmental cleanup at a former dry cleaners says there is no health risk to local residents.

Soil removed from 127 Fidelity St. contains perchloroethylene, a dry cleaning solvent that may cause cancer, but the project manager says he does not think residents were exposed.

A private contractor hired by the state Division of Waste Management removed about 240 tons of dirt recently. It now sits in 12 large metal containers covered by tarps in the parking lot.

An analysis will show whether the dirt needs to be sent to a hazardous materials facility. If the contaminant levels are low, it may be taken to a lined landfill, said Al Chapman, project manager for the state's Dry-Cleaning Solvent Cleanup Act Program.

Groundwater at the site also is contaminated, Chapman said, but to what extent is unknown.
The Orange Water and Sewer Authority, which provides drinking water to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area, doesn't have any wells in the area.

The DSCA program hired a private contractor to handle the cleanup, which cost about $100,000, Chapman said. The program is funded by a tax on dry cleaning and dry cleaning chemicals.

Neighbors' opinions differed on the cleanup operation.

"It seems to me that the analysis should have been done before," said John Allore, who lives nearby. "I would like either the company or someone from town of Carrboro to reassure me and the public that they know what they're doing, and that it's not an environmental risk to anybody in the neighborhood."

Bob Proctor, who lives in the neighboring Village Square condominiums, said he was satisfied with the outcome. "We're happy it's been cleaned up; they did a thorough job," he said.

But Proctor said the state should have acted to protect residents. "We were basically poisoned from 1990 through 1998," he said.

The owner of the property as listed in county land records, William Douglas Mitchell, did not return a phone message Wednesday seeking comment.

Town planning documents say the building was a dry cleaners for more than 20 years. Business listings indicate it was used by at least three businesses: Carolina Cleaners, Green Clean and Hangers Cleaners. Hangers Cleaners used a nontoxic process.

A phone message left at a Chapel Hill listing for Carolina Cleaners was not returned Wednesday.
The Fidelity Street building is vacant. In 2006 the property owners received a permit to convert it to offices.

(News researcher Lamara Williams-Hackett contributed to this story.)

2007-08-01T23:26:00.001-04:00

Gene Simmons and newly elected French president Nicolas Sarkozy discuss plans for the KISS reunion concert this September in Toulouse

2007-08-01T21:22:00.000-04:00

Welcome to your worst nightmare

2007-08-01T12:29:00.000-04:00

From Today's News and Observer

Site's Soil May Be Contaminated

From Staff Reports

CARRBORO - The state Division of Waste Management is waiting for test results on dirt that may be contaminated with dry-cleaning solvents.

Soil was recently excavated from beneath a building at 127 Fidelity St., a division spokeswoman said. The analysis will help the state determine how to dispose of the soil.

The empty building was used as a dry cleaners for more than 20 years, according to town planning documents.

On Tuesday evening, 12 large, covered metal containers sat in the parking lot.
The address is listed as a certified site under the state Dry-Cleaning Solvent Cleanup Act Program.

2007-07-31T19:48:00.001-04:00

Mr. Pinkwater, and the quest for Sandwich Immortality

Hilarious commentary from Danial Pinkwater and his life's goal to have a sandwich named after him.

Here's mine:

The Allore (with thanks to egg-in-the-hole)

Butter two pieces of bread
Cut a hole in the center of one piece about the size of an egg yoke
Place bread butter side down in frying pan
crack and egg and dump it in the piece with the hole
grill until egg is cooked
add bacon
add thinly slice tomato

Enjoy.

2007-07-29T19:11:00.000-04:00

This might be nothing, but...

I'm just wondering why there are 12 industrial tanks parked outside the old
site of Hangars Cleaners on Fidelity Street in Carrboro, all containing dirt that
smells like cleaning fluid.

I understand that Hangars is supposed to be the "green" alternative to
drycleaning (using some C02 alternative to Perchloroethylene) that was developed by folks in the Reasearch Triangle. So why does all this dirt need to be removed from the site? Where is it going?

An inquiry to the town planning department might be in order.

2007-06-25T21:17:00.000-04:00

AGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

2007-05-07T19:21:00.000-04:00

I LOVED the Hudson Brothers

2007-04-29T12:36:00.000-04:00

It would appear Carolina-Sex-Lawyer, Eric Mueller and I have the same taste in women:

- Barbara H.
- Denise
- Maureen
- Yolanda Hayes

2007-04-28T09:39:00.000-04:00

Right wing bias and the slow deterioration of NPR
(or why I didn't pledge during the Spring Fund Drive)

It's not that the feature on the "star studded" audio bible (featuring vocal orations by Richard Dreyfuss and the great John Schneider ) wasn't scintillating, but when the barrel gets scraped at this subterranean level even switching to Randi Rhodes looks palatable.

2007-04-27T18:34:00.000-04:00

Oh boy do I love Paleo-Future:

A look into the future that never was

2007-04-22T13:25:00.000-04:00

It took a while, but I've finally found my new contemporary audition monologue:

"I want you to know something, okay? And I want to leave a message for you right now because again it's 10:30 here in New York on a Wednesday and once again I've made an ass of myself trying to get to a phone to call you at a specific time. When the time comes ... I stop whatever I'm doing ... and you don't even have the goddamn phone turned on.

I'm tired of playing this game with you. I'm leaving this message with you to tell you that you have insulted me for the last time. You have insulted me. You don't have the brains or the decency as a human being. I don't give a damn that you're 12 years old or 11 years old or that you're a child, or that your mother is a thoughtless pain in the ass who doesn't care about what you do.

As far as I'm concerned, you have humiliated me for the last time with this phone. And when I come out there next week, I'm going to fly out there for the day just to straighten you out on this issue. I'm going to let you know just how disappointed in you I am and how angry I am with you that you've done this to me again. You've made me feel like shit. And you've made me feel like a fool over and over and over again. And this crap you pull on me with this goddamn phone situation that you would never dream of doing to your mother. And you do it to me constantly and over and over again.

I'm coming out there for the day, and I'm going to straighten your ass out when I see you. Do you understand me? I'm going to really make sure you get it. Then I'm going to get on a plane and turn around and go home so you better be ready Friday, the 20th, to meet with me because I'm going to let you know just how I feel about what a rude little pig you really are. You are a rude, thoughtless little pig, okay?"

A little maudlin, but I think I can make it work.

2007-03-24T17:26:00.000-04:00

Canada's Love Boat

Tonight's episode: Destination Sexy MURDER

2007-03-24T16:57:00.000-04:00

What I'm selling on Ebay

My Charlie's Angels trading cards. Kelly in hotpants... Youza!

Actually I'm selling a whole lot o' crap on Ebay.

2007-03-23T14:43:00.000-04:00

What's Hot On Ebay?

My 100 Pepsi bottle caps:

Current bid: $22.00

Cry Baby Cry

2007-02-28T19:39:00.000-05:00

I agree with Damien Cox that it's tough to see Ryan Smyth leave the Edmonton Oilers.

But I won't shed a tear for Alberta. Seems to me that a province with a 7 billion dollar budget surplus could have figured a way to keep their favorite son.

2007-02-19T07:16:00.000-05:00

Jack Todd in this morning's Montreal Gazette:

"Only in Toronna ... would they celebrate 40 years without a Stanley Cup by trotting out the geezers who won it last time (and that was a fluke that broke up what should have been a string of five straight for the Habs) and whooping it up as though somebody had colour photos of Johnny Bower and Dave Keon.

Think about it: It has been so long since the Leafs last won a Stanley Cup that the Expos were born, lived and died since Hogtown's last parade. And this is the team that gets shoved down our throat 24/7 by the national media."

Love you Jack!

2007-02-17T18:41:00.000-05:00

Go on and get your bad-self out to Chatham's Carnivore Preservation Trust

2007-02-17T08:27:00.000-05:00

It's a race to the bottom as the Habs and Canes square off tonight

If anything it will be interesting to see Steve Begin and Scott Walker cozy up this evening, but Carolina and Montreal are delusional if they think these two journeymen will make the difference for the clubs. Walker has a three game point streak (whoopee!), The Habs are losing ground faster than Begin's losing his hair.

Fear not. My mask will give us the power to defeat those Caniacs.

What's ailing Carolina? umm... they could use some speed. Brind'Amour and Staal look exhausted. As for the Habs; glassman Kovelev is out three weeks - that's not necessarily a bad thing (deal this paper tiger already). With Huet out I say give Halak the start (what-the-hell? ... things can't get worse). Though The Gazette is calling Halak's mask (which has pix of Patrick Roy on it) the inspiration that will revitalize the team: that is so sweet and so very, very pitiful

And we hear some guys are still recovering from the flu.

Ya, about that flu. I saw Jagr play with the flu against Carolina on Thursday. He had an assist, played for 22 minutes and controlled the pace of the entire game: MTL, stop being such pussies.

The top seven teams aren't going anywhere (yes, even Toronto is looking good). That leaves Montreal and Carolina for the 8th spot with NYR and the Islanders coming up fast. I predict the Canes will take the final spot only to go out in 5 against either the Sabres or Devils (sweet revenge).

As for the Habs: It's a seller's market, rebuild for next year.

2007-02-16T09:39:00.000-05:00

Have You Heard About B Flat?

NPR finds its funny with amusing piece by Robert Krulwich

2007-02-13T18:14:00.000-05:00

Scientists Agree: Police Reunion Confirms Gen X Mortality

This is me in 1980 (the tall one in the back):

And this is the look I was going for:

So I'll cop to it, I was absolutely ga-ga for The Police.

At a time in my life when I was in emotional free-fall - and music meant everything to me -New Wave came along at just the right time. I believe my brother bought me Regatta de Blanc for Christmas 1979. Soon I bought some Tama Octabans and the garage band played sets that covered The Police almost exclusively:

Roxanne
So Lonely
Message In A Bottle
Deathwish
Regatta de Blanc
De Do Do Do
Driven to Tears

So devoted was I that I wrote "Fuck You" on my tom-toms just like Stewart. When my mom complained I chocked it up to artistic emulation.

So disgusted was I with the bloated Synchronicity, and the mess of a solo career that followed for Captain Tantric (how dare he brake up my favorite band!).

Music died for Gen Xers when David Byrne learned to mambo, when Joe Jackson discovered Cole Porter, the day Sting started playing free-form jazz. There was a brief respite with John Lydon's PIL, but that quickly faded. The apotheosis came with last Sumner's lute-fest.

Then - unpredictably - Sting woke up. I watched the Grammy performance with skepticism, but came away impressed. Not only did The Police sound great (read "raw"), to add insult to injury - with the exception of Andy Summers who is now 65 - they haven't aged. As I contemplate the growing goo-sack developing around my midsection, Stewart Copeland looks better 25 years later.

Yes, I'd love to hear them play again, but I won't fork over $250 to relive the magic. Here is my ticket stub from 1981 when they played the University of Montreal:

Ten bucks, general admission... and I bounced up to the front and had a ball. Sting in his jump suit, Copeland in Adidas shorts, Andy in his pin-striped jacket. You can't get that back.

I saw them two years later with the Go-Gos and The English Beat (for free!... they played the McGill stadium and I was living in an apartment adjacent - I watched from the roof top.), but it was already all over.

So here's to The Police; you make me feel old, but I'm glad you'll be out there on tour this summer. Just don't ask me to pogo again.

2007-02-10T09:19:00.000-05:00

Goofy joins growing list of Deviant Disney Characters

First Tigger whomped a kid upside-the-head

Now The Goof's copped to kiddie porn charges

Man, Disney World's got everything!
------------------------------

UPDATE: "Beast" also allegedly involved.

Raleigh Joins the Power Void

2007-02-10T07:49:00.000-05:00

With Chapel Hill Police Chief Gregg Jarvies set to retire and Durham Chief Chalmers on the way out and perpetually AWOL,

Raleigh's Chief, Jane Perlov says it's time to get out of Dodge.

Who will protect the Triangle? Oh well, at least The Police are reuniting.

In the climb we're breathless above the rest

2007-02-06T10:28:00.000-05:00

For the month of January I clocked an average running pace of 9:20 / mile. I attributed the slowdown to age; I've a 43rd birthday coming up, maybe I'm winding down. Then along came February and I started running under 9. You could chock it up to my recent decision to start playing hockey again, but that would discount the Max factor.

Last week I picked up a copy of the first Max Webster album on Ebay. I downloaded it to my Ipod and I've been running 8:40 ever since.

I forgot how much I love Max Webster.

They came out of Sarnia, Ontario in the seventies. They were silly, irreverent and rocked hard. Canada's other prog rock outfit was led by lead guitarist Kim Mitchell, a cross-dressed scarecrow who once claimed he only owned one LP; Captain Beefheart's Dock at Radar Station.

Kim Mitchell

Before Kim went for a soda in search of the perfect rock song, Max Webster experimented with all kinds of weird and wonderful sounds. I played Toronto Tontos for my daughters on the way to school this morning. They hailed it as the most wonderful-retarded song they'd heard in their lives.

I became acquainted with Max Webster under unfortunate circumstances. My family was visiting relatives in Trenton, Ontario for Easter when we learned that my sister had died. While my parents dealt with arrangements I was whisked away with my cousin who had an MG and an 8-track. I remember driving around Lake Ontario,

I am perplexed
I am distressed
Where did I park my wheels, Where did I park my wheels

For a time my brother and I were in a garage band that played pretty much exclusively Max Webster. The set included:

Hangover
Coming off the Moon (a monster)
Only Your Nose Knows
High Class in Borrowed Shoes
America's Veins
Lip Service

Their New Years Eve concerts at Maple Leaf Gardens were legendary. I saw them twice; once in Moncton, New Brunswick backing up Rush, and once at The Spectrum in Montreal (Oh War was heav-eeeey).

My concert stub... I went with my brother and his girlfriend

After 5 albums the band split. Frankly the market didn't know what to do with them, and they slowly got caught in the middle of a New-Wave vacuum.

Today Kim Mitchell still plays (he has a nice new song on his website), and he hosts a radio program on Toronto's Q107 (too much top 40 and commercials for my taste; they should just cut him loose for a couple of hours and let him play what he likes).

Keyboardist Terry Watkinson is now at U of T doing medical drawings (I wonder if he wanders the academic halls in his old lab coat).

Basist Dave Myles left the band in 1980 to manage KFC restaurants back in Sarnia (which goes to show you how Canada treats its rock n roll royalty).

(with thanks to Scott Feeney's fine Max Webster site)

Dona Got a Ramblin' Mind

2007-02-04T15:49:00.000-05:00

This weekend the action was at the Chapel Hill Public Library where The Carolina Chocolate Drops performed a free concert:

Snow Day (Su-thern' Style)

2007-02-01T12:31:00.000-05:00

2007-01-27T15:29:00.000-05:00

UNC Botanical Gardens

Setting up for the big chess match (no I do not know how a Jawa got on the playing field)

FYI: Gracie won but I helped

Mason Farm Biological Reserve

2007-01-23T19:43:00.000-05:00

Hey, I lived for a while in Jamaica, Queens. If I got lost I wouldn't ask for help either.

Damon Mootoo, visiting Queens, New York, went for a walk & wandered the streets for 5 days.

That Day Is Done

2007-01-21T16:39:00.000-05:00

What to make of George Martin's LOVE?

At it's best it is a loving tribute to his young mates; John, Paul, George and Ringo (Because-"naked" is like listening to The Beatles with brand new ears).

At it's worst (unfortunately most of the time) it sounds like Cirque du Soleil cashing in - hey, they sold out long ago - to the sounds of Stars on 45.

2007-01-21T15:29:00.000-05:00

A friendly friend

Hawk in woods

Honey Locust tree

Maple View Farm

2007-01-20T17:58:00.000-05:00

Mayor Bell, wait, I jog through the Duke campus!!!!

It ight be ready in time for Indiana Jones IV... make that V

2007-01-20T17:50:00.000-05:00

The News and Observer updates us on Chapel Hill's most valuable brownfield

Hockey As Salvation

2007-01-20T07:15:00.000-05:00

All is right with the world, because I have begun playing hockey again.

Reasons I stayed away:

1. A friend who I played hockey with was murdered; that tended to kill the atmosphere.

2. I "lost" all my equipment (don't ask). Numerous ventures to Play It Again Sports replenished my bag.

3. The more a strayed, the harder it was to come back (you know that story)

The epic struggle for my mortal hockey soul: finally the Lord intervened

Reasons I came back:

1. Because Richard G is right, I would rather play it than watch it.

2. I've carried two sticks around in my car for over a year without playing. The other day my daughter asked, "what's these sticks for?", and I almost forgot.

3. One of the sticks is the one I used in high school over 20 years ago. I picked it up on a recent visit to my parents' place in Canada and have been meaning to use it.

4. The REAL reason I came back? If you have to ask then you've obviously never played.

MUSIC AS SALVATION

2007-01-19T09:12:00.000-05:00

I will never turn the dial back to NPR or WCHL again because WXDU Durham, 88.7 has restored my faith in the power of a song.

Check out the set list for my morning commute:

Belle & Sebastian Wrapped Up In Books
The Kinks Animal Farm
The Shins Girl Inform Me
The Ant Farmers Never Laugh Again
Clampett Report Lumberjacks
The Beatles Lovely Rita
Depeche Mode Enjoy The Silence
The Dukes of Stratosphear Brainiac's Daughter

Snow Day

2007-01-18T17:23:00.000-05:00

You had to get up early to catch the winter weather along the Bolin Creek trail

Trail Head

No footy prints

Light breaking

Big flakes

The creek

Stephanie Bennett

2007-01-16T12:40:00.000-05:00

It's a tragedy, but I don't think this case should be going to trial

Opening Statements Set for Stephanie Bennett Civil Case
Posted: Jan. 15 10:13 p.m.
Updated: Today at 9:27 a.m.

Raleigh — Opening statements in the civil suit surrounding the rape and slaying of a Raleigh woman are scheduled to begin Tuesday. Carmon Bennett is suing the owners of Bridgeport Apartments, where his daughter, Stephanie Bennett, lived at the time of her death in May 2002. He maintains in the lawsuit that the complex failed to protect his daughter from her killer, alleging that her apartment window failed to lock, that shrubbery around the building was too high and that there was inadequate lighting. Attorneys for the apartment complex have argued that there was nothing that their client could have done to prevent Bennett's death. Drew Planten, the only suspect in the case, was charged with first-degree murder after a three-year investigation. He committed suicide in prison in January 2006 while awaiting trial. A prowler later identified as Planten had been seen near the apartment prior to Stephanie Bennett's death, and Bennett's attorneys said the apartment complex was aware of that.

Rachel Crook

2007-01-15T09:47:00.000-05:00

Many know the story of Rachel Crook, who gives her name to the Chapel Hill restaurant, Crook's Corner.

By some accounts she was the daughter of a Confederate general. She came to Chapel Hill in 1930 and studied at UNC. While at school she lived in a tiny house on Ransom Street. She is believed to have opened a produce and fish market in 1943, then the first launderette in town in 1947. At the age of 50 she went back to school to get a graduate degree in Economics. At some point she moved to the sight of Crook's Corner, then a refurbished gas station and sold fish, fabric remnants and laundry services.

On August 29th, 1951 she was murdered, some say on the site of Crook's Corner, but her body was found in a pool of dried blood on a dirt road 4 miles north of town. Police suspected that she knew her attacker because she got into a car. Crook struggled; there was flesh under her fingernails and bits of hair on her clothing. She was beaten beyond recognition.

In 1952 Hobert Lee was arrested, then acquitted of the crime. Lee was an Alamance County construction worker who had previously been convicted of assault on a female. He had fresh scratches on his face and arms, and the tire tracks near Crook's body matched those on his truck. Crook's case is the oldest unsolved murder in Chapel Hill.

BANDS don't REUNITE

2007-01-14T09:01:00.000-05:00

On the heals of MSNBC's bands reunite survey, and Eric Muller's obsession with the subject; I give you the Which Bands Would You Pay Not To Reunite Survey

(what-the-hey, it's Sunday morning, I've got nothin' goin' on)

Click here to take the survey

2007-01-14T08:27:00.000-05:00

The Orange Turban?

No, it's a Shell station from the 1930s in Winston Salem.

There's a great piece in Sunday's N&O on Mike Lassiter's new book about old architecture curiosities and masterpieces across the State (included are Chapel Hill's Varsity Theater and Sutton's Drug Store).

Click here for a great photo preview of the book.

More Chips from the Chocolate Factory

2007-01-14T07:55:00.000-05:00

Highlights from today's Chapel Hill News:

- A 7 column love-fest for Sheriff Lindy Pendergrass.

- No hagglin' with Mark Jacobson Toyota.

- Sarah Mendel has a green frog in her garden: I thought the photo was from Costa Rica.

- "College students, baby boomers and older people" attended an anti-war rally.

- Durham Academy charges $25 to learn the secrets of "Disney on a Dime"? Here's a website, it's free.

- Some light is shed on Culture Shock, thanks to Dave Hart.

- LocoPops coming to Chapel Hill: Yum.

- Eddy Landreth breaks down Butch Davis' options.

- Press conference this Friday to announce the new Carrboro High School mascot: I'm hoping for "Dancing Homer".

- Classifieds: Mike and Kevin are looking for a "Meat Wrapper". Call "34-0152".

- Van Camp's Baked Beans: 10 for $10 @ Kroger.

I love Fitch Lumber

2007-01-13T13:22:00.000-05:00

A trip this morning to Fitch Lumber in Carrboro for some lightbulbs and spackle.

I love Fitch because it is the spitting image of my grandfather's store, Allore Lumber back in Trenton, Ontario.

If not on principle, people should at least buy local for practical reasons. Any savings from the local big boxes (Lowe's Home Depot) are quickly lost by the fuel costs and time wasted in transit.

Same truck: just write Allore Lumber on the side:

I love the way the bays all have the big numbers on them, my grandfather's had that too:

Note the two black rubber cusions (lower left) to stop the railcars in the yard. Trains used to drop shipments right into the bays, but no more:

What remains of the rail line:

My grandfather was bought out by Beaver lumber in the early eighties. Allore Lumber was later converted to a Home Hardware. But it's nice to have Fitch to bring back the memories.

Trapped between the Scilla and Charybdis of talk radio

2007-01-12T14:11:00.000-05:00

It happens every Thursday at the 4:30 rush hour:

On AM... The walking exclamation point, the man who needs a shower curtain just to talk...

Big, Dumb, Ed Schultz

Over on the FM dial... another pointless, frenetic hoser-tale from Kevin Kling.

(Eghhh!)

Freebird is looking pretty good right about now.

Time to Drop the Puck

2007-01-11T18:34:00.000-05:00

Hockey Day in the the U.S.A.

The seventh annual Hockey Day in Canada (HDIC) will be held this Saturday... across the country... ALL DAY.

Americans now have the opportunity to experience some of the event because Time Warner In Demand is (wisely) offering a free week of programming from January 8th to the 14th. (In Demand - Center Ice broadcasts every game of every team, 7 days a week)

If you gorge on hockey for just one day, I encourage you to do so on Saturday. Check out the Canadian line-up:

Montreal @ Ottawa 2:00 pm
Vancouver @ Toronto 7:00 pm
Edmonton @ Calgary 10:00 pm

(if you get bored with the Canucks, switch to the Boston / Rangers match-up)

It's not just the hockey. The broadcasts are sure to have all kinds of goofy presentations going on throughout the day; amateur games, pond hockey tournaments, Don Cherry (ok, so it is just the hockey).

And though nothing can top the thrill of the 2003 Heritage Classic, HDIC promises to be something special.
-----------------------------------------

"It'll never happen again,"

Speaking of thrills, Over at ESPN Doug Risebrough reminisces on the 30th anniversary of a Habs team that went 60-8-12.

Fit To Print?

2007-01-11T07:06:00.000-05:00

Let's take a gander at this month's Chapel Hill Magazine:

A profile of land baron / one time slum developerRoger Perry, a look at the Governor's Club, and a guide to area private schools...

Saaayyy, who's idea of Chapel Hill is this?

2007-01-10T10:41:00.000-05:00

Fear and loathing

Why does the Durham mayor always feel the need to defend the County, while sandbagging his own employees?

2007-01-08T19:05:00.000-05:00

Rafael Robb: What is the probability that as the "defendant" you are totally screwed?

Guy murders his wife over the Christmas break. She was going to divorce him and collect a lot of alimony. This happens in tony King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. He tries to stage the scene to look like a break-in and robbery. It takes the police under two weeks to figure out the scheme: He's got a weak alibi, there's broken glass improbably breaking over the body (after the crime), and the wife's body looks like her head's been torn off by a shotgun (it's not, it's just his rage).

Now get this. The guy's an economics professor at U Penn. He teaches a course in Game Theory and his final take home exam is still available online. Take a look at the exam and ask yourself, for a guy so smart, did he ever consider the odds?

Economics 682
Game Theory
Final Take home Exam
Rafael Robb

5. Consider the following signaling game. There are two players, a plaintiff and a defendant. The plaintiff knows ahead of time whether he will win the case if it goes to trial, but the defendant does not. Instead the defendant considers the probability of the plaintiff winning to be 1/3. (Formally, nature chooses whether
the plaintiff wins or losses, and reveals this information to the plaintiffs only. The probability that nature chooses "win" is 1/3 and the defendant knows it is 1/3). All this is common knowledge. If the plaintiff wins his payoff is 3 and the defendant payoff is -4. If the plaintiff losses his payoff is -1 and the defendant's payoff is 0. These payoffs are also common knowledge.

The plaintiff has two possible actions: demand a low settlement amount, m=1, or a high settlement amount m=2. If the defendant accepts a settlement demand of m, the plaintiff's payoff is m and the defendant's payoff is m. If the defendant rejects theplaintiffs demand, the case goes to court.

2007-01-08T17:51:00.000-05:00

Van Halen makes it to the Hall of Fame

So the question remains, will Alex and Eddie stop choking on their own bile and finally jam with Diamond Dave?

( I was thinking as head hit the pillow last night what a monster Eruption is, and what a lame piece of crap is Jump)